Planning Grant: Workshops to Build Capacity for Biological Field Research in Southern California Ecosystems

Climate change and associated extreme events, like droughts and wildfires, threaten communities and natural landscapes worldwide. In 2006, researchers established the Loma Ridge global change experiment in Irvine, California, to study drought, pollution, and fire impacts on local grasslands and shrublands. These unique ecosystems provide critical habitat and recreational benefits while serving as a living laboratory for environmental research.

Still, as a relatively new field research facility, Loma Ridge has not yet realized its full potential. Therefore, the goal of this project is to transform Loma Ridge into a globally recognized hub for transdisciplinary research on climate adaptation with benefits for society and the environment. A series of workshops will engage a broad community of scholars, students, and community organizations in planning discussions about Loma Ridge.

Together, this community will develop collaborations aimed at applying scientific research to improve land management, climate resilience, and conservation practices. Specific goals for the workshops include: develop a strategic plan, establish an executive committee, grow the research and stakeholder community, provide professional development training to graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, and design a communications strategy and website.

Achieving these goals will engage the private sector, residents, and the scientific community in tackling environmental problems in Southern California and beyond.

In the last 15-years at Loma Ridge, researchers have developed an interdisciplinary understanding of the ecological processes and environmental variables that govern plant and microbial communities in Southern California. Studies have quantified the response of Mediterranean grassland and shrubland ecosystems to environmental change with a replicated whole-ecosystem manipulation that includes factorial combinations of ambient conditions, nitrogen addition, added precipitation, and reduced precipitation.

Thus far, the experiment has supported over 50 scientific publications on plant communities, microbial communities, and ecohydrology along with dozens of student projects and multiple outreach programs. These activities have been conducted in partnership with the Irvine Ranch Conservancy that manages the Orange County-owned land on which the experiment is located.

Through a series of proposed workshops, the investigators will bring together researchers and land management experts to establish a long-term vision and strategic plan for Loma Ridge. Experts will be drawn from a range of fields, including the social sciences, to assemble a transdisciplinary planning team. The team will identify long-term goals in three main research areas: climate response of communities and ecosystems, recovery of previously restored habitats, and mitigation of ecosystem disturbance.

In addition, the planning team will develop policies and best practices to manage data and ensure effective communication. The plan to expand Loma Ridge’s scope and capacity will facilitate new research infrastructure, training opportunities, and outreach programs. Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows will bring diverse intellectual perspectives while gaining scientific and professional skills required for their career success.

Together, these activities will position Loma Ridge as a hub for research and educational programs that focus on mitigating the impacts of human-caused environmental change. For more information about Loma Ridge, see https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/mgoulden/the-loma-ridge-climate-change-experiment/

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.